Employee Stories
Bomb on bus exercise – Keanu Reeves not included
August 6, 2019
Saving lives in times of crisis – that was the focus of a mock bomb exercise hosted by TSA in Rochester, Minnesota. Local TSA brought together Rochester Public Transit, police, fire, the Emergency Management Department, public utilities, and the…
TSA helps educate the next generation of national security professionals
August 2, 2019
Students from the Alexander Hamilton Institute’s Washington Program on National Security recently met with a wide range of TSA employees as part of their two-week summer internship program. Now in the third year of the partnership, the…
Atlantic City hosts community outreach for travelers with special needs
July 26, 2019
TSA teamed up with the South Jersey Transit Authority (SJTA) and private screening company VMD Corporation to break down travel barriers for a group of adults with special needs at New Jersey’s Atlantic City International Airport (ACY). …
Excuse me Ma’am, is that a blade in your cane?
July 22, 2019
It’s an everyday occurrence at airports around the country: a passenger enters a checkpoint with a cane and submits it for X-ray screening. But sometimes that cane isn’t just your everyday cane! That was the case this July when a female passenger…
TSA, Paws and Stripes ease flying fears for New Mexico veterans
July 19, 2019
Dogs can be a calming influence, and some military veterans in Albuquerque, New Mexico, found that out firsthand through a partnership between TSA and the New Mexico-based Paws and Stripes program. Six veterans and four dogs went through…
Future guide dogs get TSA checkpoint training in Baltimore
July 18, 2019
Future guide dogs had an opportunity to practice going through a TSA checkpoint at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport to become familiar with the checkpoint screening process so they know what to expect when they come to…
Houston TSA officer takes quick action to save passenger’s life
July 15, 2019
A passenger was found unconscious in a women’s restroom at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport, and TSA Supervisory Transportation Security Officer Alexi Chairez put his emergency training to the test by taking quick action to save the woman.
Alaska’s Mike Duffy makes rare career progression
July 11, 2019
TSA offers multiple career progression opportunities for employees, but one advancement that’s rare is a Transportation Security Officer being promoted to the role of Federal Security Director. Alaska’s Pete Duffy joined TSA in 2002 shortly after…
New Hampshire manager arranges special trip for passenger who missed flight
June 26, 2019
A passenger was scheduled to fly out of New Hampshire’s Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT) late in the afternoon. Well, that was the original plan. The flight was switched from a 7:30 p.m. to a 2:45 p.m. departure, but when finding…
TSA Boston officers foil attempt to bring knives onto aircraft
June 25, 2019
At Boston Logan International Airport, TSA officers prevented a passenger from boarding an international flight after discovering four knives in the woman’s knee brace. Arriving at the checkpoint in a wheelchair, the woman placed her knee…
TSA trainee witnesses accident, then takes charge of scene
June 18, 2019
One evening this June, TSA officer-in-training Michael Whitney was walking down Ocean Boulevard in St. Simons Island, Georgia, with several other classmates from the TSA Basic Training program, when a silver Camaro went speeding by, lost control…
Boston officer saves life of fellow officer choking
June 10, 2019
TSA Officer Robert Reynolds knew he was in trouble. He desperately needed help. Reynolds was getting a bite to eat in the breakroom at Boston Logan International Airport when he felt a piece of food stuck in his throat. He was choking.
Denver officers rush to rescue motorcyclist after crash
June 10, 2019
TSA officers from Denver International Airport were driving from Denver to Fort Collins/Loveland Airport to screen a flight when a man riding a motorcycle suddenly lost control of his bike and crashed into the median. The TSA team,…
Cleveland TSA officer provides CPR to unconscious passenger
June 6, 2019
Lead Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer Olen Cook was having a regular day on the checkpoint at Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport when another officer requested leadership assistance. Arriving at the travel document…
TSA explosives specialists cowboy up for robot rodeo
May 31, 2019
TSA explosives specialists from Albuquerque International Sunport participated in the 13th annual Robot Rodeo and Capability Exercise hosted at Kirtland Air Force Base by the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. The…
Acting Deputy Secretary, Administrator Pekoske honors employees during Texas stop
May 31, 2019
Department of Homeland Security Acting Deputy Secretary and TSA Administrator David Pekoske was the guest of honor during a visit to Texas’ El Paso International Airport, but Pekoske took the opportunity to honor and recognize the achievements of…
Washington, D.C., TSA officer helps law enforcement provide life-saving CPR
May 22, 2019
While on break, a passenger came up to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) TSA officer Juliet Gillette and told her another passenger was having difficulty breathing. First, she contacted the Metropolitan Washington Airports…
Puerto Rico officer gives man second chance at life
March 13, 2019
Thanks to the quick work of a San Juan, Puerto Rico TSA officer, an airport passenger is alive today. Lead TSA officer Jose Aviles was in a public restroom at Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport (SJU) when he suddenly heard a gasping…
Alabama officers team up to perform life-saving CPR on passenger
March 1, 2019
TSA Officer Dustin Hunsinger was working near the ticket counter at Alabama’s Montgomery Regional Airport (MGM) when an elderly gentleman in line collapsed. “I originally thought he just tripped and fell,” said Hunsinger. When…
Furloughed TSA employee volunteers for life-saving medical evacuation
February 21, 2019
When Human Capital Military and Veteran Programs Manager Mark Escherich first heard he would be furloughed during the recent partial government shutdown, he was not too worried since he already planned to be off for the holidays. As the…